I was in middle school in the early-mid 1980’s and read a steady diet of Bantam "Sweet Dreams", Norma Klein’s IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T LOVE ME, Judy Blume’s FOREVER, and anything by Lois Duncan. Bantam’s "Sweet Dreams" line was my introduction to the world of romance. With storylines revolving around social issues facing many teens at the time, I could relate to the hero and heroine and found myself lost in their stories. Now in my early thirties, I realize times have changed, though I admit some of those changes trouble me. However, I was thrilled to see romance return to the newer generations, and hope they will appreciate it as much as I did! ~ Tracy Farnsworth

I faithfully read the Silhouette line when I was in junior high. I related to the stories of young adults dealing with situations at home or in school. One of my all-time favorites was CUTE IS A 4 LETTER WORD by Stella Pevsner. I think today's teens are a lot more aware of the world than I was at their age. Issues come up for them that I never thought would happen. As a result, I think today's authors are doing a wonderful job of creating a world where today's teens can still have fun and be enlightened at the same time. ~ Jen Russell

TF- First off, congratulations on the huge success! I have heard that bookstores are selling out of your books rapidly, in some stores they were gone within the first two days of their release. Before sitting down to write your young adult story, did you read any of the older offerings – the Silhouette Teen romances, Sweet Valley High, Bantam’s "Sweet Dreams" line?

LH - I did read young adult romances: Bantam's Love Stories, Roswell High series (my first editor was Melinda Metz who writes the series), Sweet Valley High. I was mostly interested in determining how the various aspects of a relationship were portrayed, how innocent the stories remained for the younger readers.

KS - I remember reading young adult romances when I was quite young. I think it might have been the Sweet Dreams line, but I'm not sure. I remember one of them was P.S. I LOVE YOU. When I was around 12, the Sweet Valley series launched. I remember snatching the first one off the shelf! I loved those books and bought them every month for the next two or three years.

TF – note: P.S. I LOVE YOU was a Bantam "Sweet Dreams" and one that many teen romance fans never forgot. I have been unable to find the correct author, but the teen hero, Paul Strobe, was dying from cancer and the teen heroine loved him until the very end!

JR - I was an avid reader of Silhouette's line when I was a young teen. I found that the stories always revolved around what was interesting to me at that time - high school sweethearts, school functions, etc. Do you feel today's teens are different from previous generations in their reading material? Is this why we are seeing more of an "adult" romance set within the boundaries of "young adult" criteria?

LH – I think today's teens are more sophisticated than I was when I was a teen. Television has really de-mystified so much in regard to "adult" situations. Scenes that were bold in movies twenty years ago are the norm for television series these days. But I believe there is still a core aspect of being a teen that exists. For example, in my next True Romance, AMELIA AND THE OUTLAW, Amelia has to deal with her pesky brothers -- an issue that teen girls today still face. Her father has put a restriction on when she can have a sweetheart. That aspect mirrors today's teens who can't date until they're a certain age. Amelia wants to be rebellious, and yet at the same time, she doesn't want to disappoint her father. Hopefully, even though it's a historical, today's teen girls can identify with pesky brothers, an over-protective father, and the attraction she feels for the bad boy.

KS - I think it all depends on the reader. I was 10 when I read my first Woodiwiss, yet I was still interested in the teen market. I do remember thinking those teen books weren't very realistic. Kids running around saying things like 'gosh' and 'darn' -- certainly not what I was hearing at school! LOL! I don't think kids have changed that much. The teens are still that very difficult age right between child and adult hood. I think you can't write for teens as though they were children. I remember reading Judy Blume's FOREVER and thinking 'Finally!' Teens are facing big issues in their lives -- sex, drugs, etc -- so when you write for them you need to address those concerns. When you're sixteen and in love, it doesn't feel that different from when you're twenty-six and in love. The feelings and urges are there, and are sometimes very new and frightening. So really, I don't think the trend is writing adult stories in a young adult world. I think writers and publishers are finally starting to realize what the term 'young adult' really means and are treating the subject matter more accordingly. And as someone who, as a teen, wanted to read 'older' or more realistic kinds of books, I'm really proud to be a part of this new wave of young adult fiction.

TF – Kate, your story revolves around a young woman who finds herself soon to be marrying the young man her mother feels would be perfect for her. Personally, I was unsure teenagers would be able relate to a girl in an arranged marriage, but obviously sales prove me wrong! Did you ever have the same worries or did you have this sense that teens would love it?

KS - Well, actually Anna ends up marrying the guy her mother originally thought was wrong for her, but that's beside the point. :-) I did worry that it might seem a strange concept to teens, but it was true to the time period. Anna is 18 in my book -- a little older than the heroines in Lorraine and Beverly's books -- and she would have been of marriageable age. It just felt right to end the book that way. I don't think the idea of finding 'the one' is all that alien to young readers. As a big Buffy and Angel fan, I know that there are many young viewers out there who still want Buffy and Angel to be together forever, and she was only 16 when they met on the show! My goal was to write about characters teens would be interested in and to introduce readers to a time period they might not know much about. However, my next True Romance doesn't end in marriage.

JR - Ms. Heath, why did you decide on a cattle drive romance set after the Civil War for your teen romance? Was there any question that you would do a historical for this line?

LH – When my agent called to tell me she'd heard about the line and was I interested in pursuing writing for it, I was thrilled with the opportunity to write for a younger audience. It was something I'd wanted to do for a while. So I submitted a proposal for the cattle drive romance. I didn't want to stray too far from what I knew because I expected that I'd have to adjust my voice a little bit as well as the tone of the story. Besides, I love the adventure of cattle drive stories. Of course, I grew up during a time when westerns flourished on TV. I also grew up and live in Texas where cattle still dot the landscape. But more than the western aspect, I was interested in placing the heroine in a situation where she was perceived as being a boy. The first scene that came to me when I was trying to determine what might make a good story -- was the scene by the river when the young boys stripped down to go swimming. The only way for it to work would be if everyone thought Sam was a boy. And cattle drives hit their popularity right after the Civil War.

TF- How has the feedback been for each of your stories?

LH – I've found the feedback to be very positive. A lot of my adult readers are purchasing the books, and I always emphasize that it's written for a younger audience. I think those who understand that it was written for a more innocent audience find it an enjoyable read because then their expectations are met.

KS - Overwhelmingly positive. Most of it has come from girls who have written to tell me how much they enjoyed the story, which made me feel like I was about 10 feet tall! One of the girls mentioned how she loved the fact that Anna and Ewan were going to be together 'forever.' I've even heard from some adult readers who have enjoyed the story as well. Anyone I've heard from has enjoyed the book, but it's like everything else. Some will like it and others won't. Hopefully most will and I'll catch the rest with the next one. :-)

JR - Will you continue to write teen romances for Avon's line?

LH – I certainly would like to continue writing teen romances. I enjoy writing them. I also think they're fun read. I loved ANNA AND THE DUKE and BELLE AND THE BEAU. I look forward to reading the other books in the line, and hopefully writing a few more as well.

KS - If they'll let me, I'd love to continue. The two I've written have been unbelievably fun and Abby, the editor, is wonderful to work with.

TF – What is up next for the two of you?

LH – As I mentioned, AMELIA AND THE OUTLAW is next from me. It'll be out in January 2003. Amelia is the Judge's daughter. Jesse is serving out his time working the Judge's ranch. Amelia is fascinated with the troublemaker. He's equally attracted to her, but she's definitely trouble for him because the Judge has forbidden them both to spend any time together. And yet, how can they deny the call of their hearts?

KS - I have an adult romance titled A GAME OF SCANDAL out in July, and my second True Romance, EMILY AND THE SCOT, a sequel to ANNA AND THE DUKE is due out in December. It's about Emily, Ewan's sister, who goes to Scotland to escape an unwanted suitor and instead finds Jamie, a big, blunt, opinionated Scot who not only knows how to inflame her temper, but her heart as well.